The way of the chosen one
by Ankari 238
Summary: When Terminal City gets attacked, Max's people manage to catch one of the familiars. He offers Max to make a deal, but can she trust him? Chapter 3 Bad awakening is up! Maxs searching the nocturnal Terminal City for intruders. Please R&R!
1. The calm before the storm

Fandom:Dark Angel

Titel:The way of the chosen one (OT: Der Weg der Außerwählten)

Autor:Ankari 238

Spoiler:This is kind of my third season.

Disclaimer:I don't make money with this I just write because I like to.

Summary:_When Terminal City gets attaced, Maxs people manage to catch one of the familiars. He offers Max a to make a deal, but can she trust him? _

Comment:This is the english version of a German story of mine. I hope my English is not too bad and this is quite readable. I'm so nervous about posting my first English fanfiction so please review and tell me what you think about it!

**THE WAY OF THE CHOSEN ONE **

by Ankari 238

1** THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM**

Darkness had lowered over the city like a black cloth. Complete night, which was only broken through by dim light coming from a few single windows and some street lamps throwing pale lost seeming isles of light between the shadows of the night. The streets were empty in this quiet part of the city and everything lay in a perfect silence you don't find too often in a city like Seattle. The louder appeared the slight rush of the wind, which roamed around the houses like a ghost. But in this dark night with hardly any moon – a few hours before sunrise - no one was on the streets who could hear it.

High above the city a young women's dark silhouette jutted out of the shadows of the Space Needle. She stood at the edge of the platform and looked down on the sleeping city. Her long dark hair blew in the wind and made her look even more like a shape from another world which came to watch over the city and it's inhabitants in this dark night.

Max Guevara had come here once more to think about some things in peace. She knew what a huge risk she was taking through this – Seattle wasn't the secure place it once had been no more. At the latest since their existence had been exposed during the incident at Jam Pony, Transgenics couldn't walk on the streets of Seattle without fearing for their lives anymore.

Nevertheless Seattle had especially lately more than any time before become her home. Not only because here she met Logan, Cindy, Sketchy, Kendra, Herbal and many other people, without which she couldn't imagine her life anymore and here she really lived as a free person for the first time; but also because here she had finally met her remained siblings again, which came to Terminal City to back her up.

But here in this city had also taken place the one event, which changed the lives of herself and all those who where like her enormously and irrevocable: Since the hostage taking at Jam Pony everybody in this city knew about the existence of the transgenic soldiers. And not all of them were too glad to hear about the little nation living among them unrecognized – to be exactly most of them were highly afraid of their genetically enhanced neighbors, because those were superior to them in more than one way, and declined them. What's more they saw the Transgenics as freaks – not worthy to live and without rights. The initially fear had fast

developed into hate.

And though they – the Transgenics – hadn't chosen this kind of life, they had to live with the consequences: They were hunted by the ordinaries and there were a lot of gangs, whose only activity all day was to find and attack them. Every single day was a sole fight to survive.

Three months had already passed now. But it would last a lot more time until the ordinaries would finally accept them or at least stop fighting them. But how goes the saying? – You get used to everything. The people would someday get used to the new situation and then they would hopefully be able to live with the ordinary citizens in peace in the end.

"In case they were still existing then!" the young woman though bitterly. Something terrible was going to happen soon! And she – Max Guevara had to prevent it. Although she neither knew what the coming – how the members of the snake cult called the dreadful event – was, nor how she could stop it. The only hint they had was an old prophecy, which had appeared on her skin as strange runes a few weeks ago: "When the shroud of death covers the face of the earth, the one whose power is hidden will deliver the helpless."

Logan was firmly convinced that she was meant by the prophecy. She should save mankind? The mankind, which tried to kill her and all Transgenics every day? And Max Guevara, the leader of them, was put on the very top of their spot. The people dug their own grave and Max couldn't imagine that anything could stop them from doing this. Somebody had to save humanity – not only from White and the snake cult, but also from themselves.

But no matter what would be happening, there was one thing Max knew for sure: she would never allow White and his comrades to reach their aim, whatever it was exactly.

The sun slowly rose, but in Seattle there was still silence. From her location on the Space Needle Max looked down on the lights of the city. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful, but she already felt that the coming was about to come as she had felt White and the phalanx approach during the siege at Jam Pony. It was the calm before the storm and all the people in Seattle and all over the world didn't have a premonition of the impending danger.

Well that was the first part of my fanfiction. Theres not much about the plot yet, but I'd love to know how you liked it so far! How I already told you above English's not my first language, so I assume there actually are some mistakes (I hope they're not too much). So I beg you to review and tell me the mistakes, so I can improve.


	2. Shadows of the night

**Calistra: **Thanks for your review! I'm glad you liked the first chapter! That really motivated me to write on.

2 **SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT **

_The night had come into movement._

_In this new moon night darkness seemed to have definitely triumphed over the light. With the treetops being hard to make out, everything beyond was only a chaos of pale light and overlapping shadows. A coincidental watcher probably wouldn't have been able to say, where there was actually something moving and where his in turmoil gotten fantasy was only interpreting something into the restless shadows, which actually wasn't there. _

_But if one looked at it long enough, he'd recognize from time to time single shadowly masked shapes apparently purposeful following a pattern, which probably only made sense for those initiated, slipping along the edge of the forest and immerse again into the deep shadows and disappeared as if they'd never been there. _

_The sight being presented here was eerie – almost unreal. In this place something really mysterious and sinister was about to happen. Something, which wasn't meant for everyone's' eyes and ears. An expectant and tense atmosphere lay over the whole scenario. _

_Fire blazed up and a torch with greedy flames coming from it's end became visible. Making the dark figure holding it appear even more mystical in this flickering fire light. He was wearing a long black robe, the cowl drawn far into the face. Underneath there seemed to be nothing but all absorbing darkness. _

_A second torch blazed up and as an released mechanism more and more torches were lightened and put into prepared holders. Reluctantly the darkness retired a little bit and gave a view to a wide semicircle of about fifty dark robes wearing figures and the masked shape which lightened the first torch standing at the open side._

_Everyone was silent and kept his head bowed. Nobody moved in fact. And even nature seemed to keep it's breath. Some minutes the gathered remained in this expectant silence. _

_Then the leader slowly rose his head and wiped off the cowl. Although his face was still hidden in the shadows. _

_An hardly audible murmur and whisper rose and broke the unshakeable silence. A strange soft chant coming from the leader and being reflected like a bizarre manyvoiced echo by his followers, which also rose their heads immediately and joined in. _

_At the beginning the foreign words were hardly understandable, but with every repetition the speech song became louder and more intensive. In the end it penetrated the whole glade. _

"_Adara mos rekali, konoss rehu jek!" _

"_Adara mos rekali, konoss rehu jek!"_

"_Adara mos rekali, konoss rehu jek!"_

_Everytime faster, everytime louder. _

_The dark figures lifted their arms to the sky. The choir of voices repeating the strange words again and again, rose even farther an seemed to strive for it's climax…_

_and then it rapidly broke off. From one second to another there was complete silence again. _

_The leader took one step forward into the middle of the circle. His face was still in shadow, but his figure gave off an indecredible aura of power and authority. The members of the breed fell on their knees in one fluent movement as one single creature. _

A group of about ten in dark robes wrapped shapes loosened from the kneeling crowd and stepped in front of their leader. One of them raised his voice and for the first time since the beginning of this secret meeting someone was speaking:

"_Everything's prepared, lord. Tonight we'll bring Sandman's work to an end…." _

**Note:** I know this chapter's quite short, but with some support through reviews the upcoming ones will be longer. I know that there are a lot far better written stories than mine, but English's not my mother language so please be kind and give me a chance! I'm really trying to do a good job and a little motivation through reviews could help me a lot.


	3. Bad Awakening

**Calistra**: Thank you so much for encouraging me again! I'm really happy to hear you like my ideas! And I guess the whole writing thing will get better with some practice. (grins) I've just begun reading your story it's great and I'm really looking forward to read more as soon as I've got some free time.

**Maria 656:** You really saved my day when I saw that I had a new reader! Thanks for reviewing! Well I didn't think too much about the shipping in this story for now, but it definitely won't be M/W ! (grins) I couldn't even imagine this! And I'd love to get an email from you!

Chapter 3 - **BAD AWAKENING **

An annoying noise slowly but relentlessly brought Max from a deep sleep back to reality. Reluctant she opened one eye to see who or what was disturbing her sleep. It was still dark in her room, but thanks to her cat genes Max could nevertheless recognize her mobile phone lying exactly beneath her face and ringing as hell. Had that damn ringing always been that loud? And what the devil did this silly thing do on her bed at all? But right now there was only one thing that mattered: The noise had to stop! Clumsy she fished for the gadget with one hand and without moving more than absolutely necessary. Whoever woke her up right in the middle of the night would immediately experience an X5 giving him hell, if he didn't call to tell her the world was coming to an end in a few minutes. Because everything else could have waited until the next morning.

"Yes?" she growled into the phone morosely, when she had finally reached it.

The answer was barely understandable between the rush "I hope you're ready!"

"What!"

No answer.

"Hello?"

Max stared distracted at her mobil phone. The strange caller had already hung up. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Outside Terminal City there were only a handful of people, which had this phone number and of those surely no one was crazy enough to pester her with such a feebleminded call; especially not at such a time.

Little by little memories of a worrying dream, which had faded during the sudden awaking, came up again. The dream had had something to do with the snake breed. A dark and sinister dream. Something had been said – something important. Strained she tried to remember the words, but they seemed to faint farther every second.

"Tonight we'll bring Sandeman's work to an end!" the words then suddenly appeared in her memory as a neon sign.

With one leap Max was out of her bed and fully awake. But only a few seconds later the first shock gave place to earnest doubts. What was that supposed to mean eventually? A strange dream, which she couldn't even remember properly and a mysterious caller, whose confused talk seemed to fit exactly into this dream …. Had she really dreamed of the snake breed? Or did she just imagine having dreamt this after that tremendous call? Or was the call possibly also part of her dream?

Probably she was still dreaming now! The whole situation was just to crazy to be true! How the hell should this strange caller – just in case he actually existed – know about her dream?

Apart from all that she hadn't sleep for far too much time as if any crap like this could prevent her from sleeping now. Exhausted Max dropped back on her bed and cuddled up into the blanket again. She tried to relax.

It remained an attempt.

Of course it was nonsense, but the dream and the ominous caller had worried her more than she wanted to admit to herself. And the thought of all the unpleasant things that may happen just didn't leave Max alone.

Perhaps she should just stand up and convince herself everything was okay. Then she would at least be able to sleep peacefully again!

Angry at the fool who made her doing this, Max struggled to get out of her bed again. Right now she really felt like cursing aloud, but at least the other inhabitants of Terminal City should get their sleep. For a moment she considered dressing up, but finally decided against. After all she just wanted to take a look on the monitoring systems and crawl back below her blanket as fast as she could.

Carefully she shoved the door open and crept along the corridor barefooted. Possibly she would even though wake up a few people – at least the sensitive hearing of the transhumans wouldn't elude the sound of her footsteps. Though even them slowly got used to not further bothering about such things.

A restrained sound came through from far off the corridor.

Startled Max paused in her pace and listened. Perhaps her uneasy sensation actually wasn't as unwarranted as she had thought. In Terminal City it was an unwritten law, that everybody had to pay attention to not making any unnecessary noise during the night. After all transgenics weren't known for their deep sleep.

Max closed her eyes and breathed flatly so she could fully concentrate on the sounds of her surroundings. But even with her enhanced hearing she couldn't make out anything – there was perfect silence again.

Puzzled she opened her eyes and frowned. Had she eventual only been wrong?

There was only one way to experience that: Without further ado Max turned and sneaked carefully trying not to make any noise, but as speedy as possible back in the direction the sound had come from.

As she passed an open door, Max saw a rapidly movement from the corner of her eye. Like lightning she stepped backwards and pressed herself against the wall to remain unseen for her part. Then she eavesdropped attentively and with her breath kept.

Did she just imagine it or was there a quiet regular sound coming from the room? Perhaps wary steps? Something was there in the dark room. It could simply be a rat, but as well a dangerous intruder. Automatically her hand placed itself on the light switch. Should she switch it on? As an X5 she received much more in the dark than any other, which though didn't help her feeling much more comfortable with some light. On the other hand whoever was in there knew exactly where she stood while she didn't have a clue where he was.

Fast deciding Max switched on the light and stepped into the door prepared to reject any possible attacker immediately. But there was no one. Quickly Max searched the room with glances. It stayed that way: nothing. And then she discovered the real source of the strange sounds she had heard from outside: an old rusted water tap peacefully dripped in one corner.

Max heaved a sigh of relief. Almost she had just laughed about her completely groundless panicking, when she suddenly had an intensive feeling of being watched. Hurriedly she turned around and scrutinized the corridor right and left. But there was also nothing to be seen. No mysterious persecutor who would attack her from the ambush every moment.

Max shook her head about her behaviour. She actually seemed to slowly become paranoid and her silly panicking was beginning to annoy her. After all she was a genetically enhanced soldier not an anxious child!

But on her further way through the nocturnal Terminal City she still felt watched the whole time. She also constantly thought that she was hearing something, in which her in turmoil gotten fantasy interpreted the strangest things. Suspicious sounds can be found always and everywhere and if you just once make the mistake to start paying attention to them, you won't be able to overhear them anymore.

Involuntary her steps got faster and faster. And in turn it's in every time shorter intervals reflected echoes let her become more and more nervous. Max felt like running, but she laboriously controlled herself in order to prevent from loosing her head definitely.

Anyway something was wrong. Max by no means was the kind of person who'd feel uncomfortable at night or even fear it. Contrary she was often on the way at night and often even in not too secure districts. And during none of those excursions she'd ever felt fear – indeed the feeling of not knowing what may await her hidden in the shadows attracted her. In comparison a nocturnal walk through Terminal City shouldn't be worth mentioning.

Though that wasn't what disquieted her that much ... Something was fishy here; tremendously fishy. She just felt it was that way and exactly this strange feeling or knowledge or whatever it was, was what frightened her.

Finally she got to an old storeroom, which they didn't use and so was full of all sorts of junk of the former inhabitants of Terminal City. That was about where the sounds probably had come from. Suspicious Max squinted her eyes and surveyed every corner of the small chamber.

But the only source of light was a tiny window. And with tonight of all nights being new moon even with her cat genes Max couldn't make out anything but a wild chaos of shadows and vague silhouettes.

A small shelve emphasized dark from the shadows. A black mark on the floor. It had been knocked over; the inside it stored things were spread all over the concrete ground.

Max frowned concerned. She hadn't ever been to this chamber before. She didn't knew when and by whom the shelve had been knocked over.

I could have been years ago.

But it wasn't … it had been tonight.

Again Max had the strange feeling of being watched. She knew, that she was the only person in this small store-room – there was no doubt about this. But someone had been here and now this uninvited guest crept through the sleeping Terminal City ….

It wasn't only a guess. Max formally saw the intruder in front of her mind's eye. She just knew someone was sneaking around in this building – someone who didn't belong here; and he hadn't come alone.

The feeling was very similar to what she had felt when she knew White and his phalanx were coming during the Jam Pony siege. There was absolutely no occasion for such a theory; not the slightest evidence, that it could be true. And though Max didn't question the substance of this feeling for one second.

No, there was no doubt ... Familiars had forced their way into Terminal City ….

TBC

**Note: **

Well I got two rewiews for chapter 2 so I'd like to get at least three for this one. (grins)

The next chapter is one of my favorite ones. There'll be a lot action and tense which you really can look forward to. I guess I'll be able to update it about next weekend.


	4. Facing the Enemy

Sorry because it took me so long to update this, but I've been really busy lately. And I wanted to write this as well as possible because it's one of my favorite chapters. I hope I suceeded and you'll enjoy reading this!

**the way of the chosen one **

by Ankari 238

4 ** Facing the Enemy**

In spite of the fact that even she was next to blind with the prevalent light conditions, Max ran along the dark corridor as fast as she could. Right here there weren't even windows, through which at least a gentle gleam of light could have come through. So even with her cat genes Max was more like guessing than really seeing the contours of the walls. A normal human probably wouldn't even be able to see the proverbial hand before your very eyes.

Her footsteps echoed muffled and in fast sequence from the blank walls. She'd wake up half Terminal City, but that hadn't any part anymore right now – contrary: it was exactly what she planned to!

She had to get to the Command Centre to set off the alarm and so warn the others. Besides she needed to find out, where and how many the familiars were and what they were intending.

Max wondered how the hell these damn familiars had managed to get into Terminal City unnoticed. All night there were guards positioned at any possible entrances. But were those still alive anyway?

While Max pondered that way, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings that remarkable no more. She knew every centimetre here like the back of her hand. Even in the dark she found her way problem-free. But with what was awaiting her beyond the next bend she hadn't calculated at all …

A brief shadow, only becoming slightly evident in front of the background because it was moving... A gentle breeze. Before Max could react something painfully brushed against her temple and made her stumble back. Her back plenty roughly slammed against something hard, which had to be the wall.

The blow had been badly aimed, but now with her adversary knowing the approximate location of his target the next one was very likely to hit.

Hardly Max had overcome the first surprise about the sudden attack, when she already felt another breeze on her face and even thought to see a hardly recognizable movement right in front of her. A split second before the renewed attack could hit Max she made a skilful dive under the fast approaching fist and a small step aside. A quiet half supressed groaning told her the attacker's hand had chased through her own drive probably met the wall.

That gave Max a little rest.

She reconsidered shortly: As far as she knew there had been no footsteps to be heard, so the attacker was probably still where he had been just a minute ago. With the drive of a turn Max kicked at the spot where she reckoned the rips of the attacker to be hidden in the dark. She was hoping urgently that she wouldn't also end up hitting the wall, but apparently she had underestimated him …

Shortly before her attack could target Max felt her right leg suddenly being grabbed and firmly twisted. Her opponent was going to break it! Instead of trying to free herself she instinctively followed the involuntary movement of her leg, jumped off with her free leg shifting her weight into the hands which were still keeping a firm hold on her other leg and spinned her whole body around in the air. It was pure need which drove her to this daredevil action. Max had no clue if her little trick was going to work. She had to manage to somehow hit her enemy with the free leg and hope he'd relieve the other one then. Otherwise she'd be in trouble!

But luck seemed to be on her side today. Her leg met resistance. A scream. Her opponent's grip loosened and so released her right leg. Max managed to turn in the air as far as possible, before she roughly met the hard concrete. She ignored the pain in her ankles, it would slacken right away anyway. Sometimes it definitely had some advantages to be genetically advanced.

Quickest possible Max struggled to her feet. After all she didn't know when the next attack of her opponent would occur. Simultaneous he seemed to move too, but in the chaos of her and his footsteps Max couldn't make out where the sounds came from.

Then there was silence again. With both Max and her opponent having stumbled back they were out of reach now. The two of them hardly dared to breath, while they were waiting lurking for the other one to make a mistake and so reveal his position. Here where even an X5 could see next to nothing, they had to depend fully on their other senses.

After what seemed to be endless waiting, Max suddenly perceived a slight noise a patch away. With a few fast steps she was there to attack the in the dark hidden opponent once more.

But something was fishy. Yet before her kick hit emptiness Max had a premonition that all was not well: She should have noticed it before: The noise she had heard hadn't been the sound of careful footsteps, but more like something small had hit the ground. And right here there was no one. No movement, not the slightest shadow and though she ought to stand right in front of him now Max couldn't hear any breathing. A trap?

She turned round rapidly to evade the ambush in the last second, but it was already too late. Soon the attacker was behind her and dropped her with a well aimed kick before she could even turn round completely.

But now her three months lasting residence in Manticore finally paid off: As automatically her body rose from the ground through a spin and whirled round in a screw to hit her opponent with an insidious kick. So far for the theory – in practice there was unfortunately a little problem: Max couldn't see her enemy! Hitting him with the kick therefore would be purely luck – something she unfortunately didn't have today.

At least she landed quite impeccable and got back to her feet just in time to repulse her opponent's next punch with her forearm. She seemed to get used to fighting in the dark and her aiming got better and better. But so was her enemy. He for his part dextrously blocked her following kick which had been supposed to hit his knee violently.

Max evaded his next attack through ducking. From this position she was able to pull his feet away.

Even before he hit the ground with a loud crash, Max jumped to her feet and started running. Though the fight had only lasted a few minutes this was wasted time. And Max didn't want to think of what a damage the remaining Familiars could do in this time. She had to warn all inhabitants of Terminal City as fast as possible. And now with her opponent finally being defeated – at least for some time – her promontory should be enough to set off the alarm.

But unfortunately he hadn't come alone... Suddenly a strong arm lay around her throat from behind and relentlessly pressed on it.

"I got him!" yelled the guy cutting her air support.

Max couldn't breath. She bombarded the newly appeared opponent with kicks at his legs, but the fewest stroke him at all. And her attempts to free herself from his irony grip remained too quite unsuccessful. Yet she felt the strength going from her body in the aftermath of the lack of oxygen.

She was just about to start panicking , when the light suddenly flashed on. Blinded Max shut her eyes for a second.

TBC

**Note: **

I know that's a mean cliffhanger, but you know how you can motivate me to update

soon. (grins)

How did you like the fighting scenes? Did I describe them quite well and in a way so you could imagine everything?


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